Ahead of a story this week out of WSMV Nashville, Tennessee, challenging the national student advocacy and violence prevention nonprofit out of Texas, The Uvalde Foundation For Kids & its STOPNOW school community patrols program - The foundation releases our founder's full response to some questions posed by WSMV journalists. This to ensure integrity and completeness of any published material and to address potential future inquiries.
STOPNOW School Community Patrols:
WSMV: "A MNPD spokesperson specifically said: "How can you perform patrols if you are not police? Some cities and schools have said despite releases suggesting otherwise, that the patrols have not happened?"
UFK: "I was encouraged to hear confirmation that the schools & districts you contacted had not received our volunteer safety patrols. If they had, those patrols would not be authorized by the foundation, as we do not have on campus or district associated patrols at this time."
By design, as stated on our site: though often confused, admittedly in part by our foundations early attempts to develop and define the program itself - we have both on campus patrol programs (though not currently active) and off campus programs.
Again, currently we do not have, nor have we sought out, any on campus or district property patrols anywhere in the nation. This should clarify, in part, why those you connected with would state that patrols did not, as you noted, "Happen."
Now, while we hope to establish on campus, relationships in the future, in partnership with a school/districts own safety teams and protocols - Current STOPNOW teams, do not collaborate their off campus activities and patrols with schools nor districts, which typically occur 1-6 blocks around schools where our patrols exist. As current teams patrol off campus/district properties, permission or district/city oversight for these patrols equally are not sought nor required.
Typically as well, this is the case for areas/cities we might temporarily patrol, due to student related safety incidents, such as Philadelphia SEPTA Shooting incident. We are separate from city law enforcement activities and restrictions.
And, also by design, our team patrols are meant to be both visible and invisible at the same time.
We do not wish to create a "Vigilante," school community presence, nor one which would create alarm for neighbors, students, etc. We blend our patrols into each school community, often using community members themselves.
And, admittedly, some teams we announced, originally as forming through our initial press releases do not always "Take Feet," as we like to say. This is to say, while there may have been an initial potential need, or request for our patrols, or desire to have one launched in a community - After our initial launch there was either a minimal amount of volunteers qualified or the "safety" need was met by other adjustments made, such as increased law enforcement presence, etc.
Finally, I have to admit that I absolutely loved the quote by the MNPD representative, you noted: "How can they patrol if they are not police?" This statement, I "love," not because of its accuracy, because it is not accurate; but rather, in that it is a perfect example of the misnomer that exists about citizen, volunteer based, neighborhood patrols such as ours, as well as our counterparts, the Guardian Angels - the anti crime citizen patrol group in New York City, of which incidentally, our patrols are mostly modeled after.
To elaborate, patrols such as ours often are able to prevent crime overall simply by the positive engagement within the community and relationships built therein over time. Patrol teams, comprised of locals, often have a better pulse on what is happening in their own neighborhoods, or in our patrol situations, school communities."
A great recent statement from an SRO whom we recently recognized, on the benefits of this STOPNOW PATROL program, available here:
https://www.theuvaldefoundation.com/post/walker-county-alabama-deputy-sheriff-stopnow-school-patrols
Stop Now Program Link:
Donations:
WSMV: "What exactly are donations to your foundation going to?"
UFK: "I am proud of how the foundation has been effective in utilizing its donation base, however minimal at times, toward our overall mission, locally and nationally; since Uvalde, 2022. Immediately following the mass shooting here in Texas and for several months, thereafter; we were honored, through donations raised from our fundraising efforts, to be able to pay for basic living expenses and costs for several families effected by the shooting, as they waited more substantial long term funding from national fundraising and support services. We were even able to aide in travel costs for one family traveling from Uvalde to Houston, weekly, so that their daughter, who thankfully, survived the tragic shooting that day, could undergo therapy support.
Other ways we have utilized our donations is through the national support raised from other fundraisers we hold to draw either financial support for victims of school gun violence, provide scholarships for schools violence and bullying prevention programs such as we did for Hazard Middle School in Hazard, Kentucky, Aspen Community School in Denver, Colorado OR simply be able to present award recognitions to those students & individuals themselves who have shown exceptional resilience in the stand against violence."
Uvalde Foundation Raises Over $1,800 For Utica Officer:
Uvalde Foundation Presents Fundraiser Funds To Support Des Moines Charter School Founder After Shooting:
Abby Zwerner, Shot By Student, & NNPS Reacts To Receiving Foundation Grant:
Louisiana Student Receives Award For Reporting School Threat:
Over $1,100 Raised For Choctaw HS Student:
Note: Additionally, if our donation base allows, travel to school crisis sites for assessments and provide assistance, funding our researchers for school assessments & safety materials, etc, holding safety seminars for schools facing crisis; also are covered by donations.
We are proud of the fact that never, since our inception, have myself or any board member, nor team member, received compensation for services provided. Likewise never is a school or individual requested to donate in exchange for foundation services. I personally make a living working as a waiter at a restaurant to make my own ends meet so I can volunteer full time for the foundation.
See the below foundation recent financial summary (Jan 2024 - Present). Most of our operating, not program, expenses are primarily covered, hence, by myself and our board. As our work expands & our donations increase, we will continue to utilize funds as aforementioned and will likewise continue our transparency in same regard. We are able to still accomplish our work overall due to the complete volunteer nature of our programs and outreaches.
Uvalde Foundation For Kids Published Financials Summary (Jan 2024 - May 2024):
We will continue our work, until every student in America is safe ...
Here is what WSMV Nashville Originally Reported In Their Latest Report, "Who Is The Uvalde Foundation For Kids:"
Daniel Chapin, Founder
The Uvalde Foundation For Kids
254 206 9089
